North Island Northland Region 2019 Hamilton to Whangarei

Hamilton to Whangarei

Northland Region North Island

New Zealand

2019

Starting our Journey North

Hamilton

First-night freedom camping... staying at Classic Museum

After taking all day to get an alarm installed, they gave us a car to use did some shopping and had a lovely catch-up with Auntie Judy.

The next day still here been raining most of the day but that's ok because we needed to put non-slip in the cupboards, use stick strips to put stuff on walls and download phone apps to monitor the gas bottles and use the phone as the remote for the heating and hot water by BlueTooth.

We had drinks at 4pm with our friends at Kawakawa bay neighbours mum and dad they came in this afternoon in a big bus towing a car trailer with car and quad bike on....small world. We’re always hungry for information and listen to tales from like-minded they have been living on

Classic Museum

Te Kauwhata Domain

Had our first mishap with the Motorhome trying to get in the farm driveway at our son’s house hence why we needed to stay up the road at the Domain.

So while we have been at the farm Robert has been busy making plywood boxes to support the stuff in the garage/locker. It was hard going before we left our house at Otorohanga because we didn’t have the time before the tenant moved in or the tools make-organize everything properly.

West Auckland

The second night here yesterday did some shopping at Burnsco Manukau bought a new kettle much easier to fill and pour 2 collapsible water containers, a 12v fan that should be quiet to use we hope. We visited NZMCA to get our CSC label for the window and Doc pass but the computers are having an upgrade so couldn’t get the Doc pass. Then out to visit friends out west. Today tried out a laundry mat for the first time ever it was easy just dropped it off and paid $3 more for them to do it while we had visits with our Bros that live out this way. Late this afternoon went for a 7km walk along the river been missing our walks. Sitting here having beer o’clock and ducks fly over we are the only MH that copped it Robert used the Dump Mate for the first time today His report... AAA+++ rating made the job so easy for his bad back no standing in a bent position to empty and easy to rinse and restore in its bag.

North of Auckland

Tonight’s stay

Marina

Rescue helicopter training with the coastguard

Snells Beach

Tonight’s stay

Arrived after lunch after topping up food and fuel hope to stay 2 nights

Went for a foreshore walk....for Friday of a long weekend surprisingly quiet.

Snells Beach

Snells Beach waterfront walk

Snells Beach

Wellsford

Staying the night at the RSA in the car park unfortunately they are not open for meals only Friday night.

We did the loop out to Leigh and Pakiri Beach.

Leigh was a disaster to many people for us we tried to get to the beach and ended up on a single-lane steep road if you could call it a road. Goat Island Road was the same with no parking for our size on a long weekend.

The Motorhome is officially DIRTY after travelling from Leigh to Pakiri Beach on a single-lane gravel road with a huge drop-off, we needed to pull over into passing lanes for oncoming traffic.

Pakiri Beach is beautiful and remote with only the camping ground there, very safe for small kids to play in the stream going out to the white sand beach that goes for kilometres.

Summary for the day Walkworth is fantastic for their dump station very modern setup with potable water. A lovely little town with a very good laundromat across from the park even managed to buy a pair of shorts from the shops on a Sunday.

Wouldn’t do the loop again unless it was during the week and not the holiday season.

Tonight’s stay

Warkworth Park

Across from laundromat

Peep out from Leigh

Looking back to Snells Beach from north side

Pakiri Beach

Port Albert

At Port Albert lovely and quiet, fishing if you like off the wharf or have a boat and a playground for kids. Tidal estuary muddy water so no swimming otherwise nothing to do but relax. Internet.

Port Albert Wharf

Neat old boat

The wharf

Sandpit is a concrete boat

Low Tide

Building a houseboat

Low tide

Mangawhai

Went for our walkout at Mangawhai Heads after lunch in the car park, not that great for photos very windy and overcast with a few showers.

Walk up the hill from the car park

Tonight’s stay

Had a quiet night only ones here good overnight stay $5 per van NZMCA affiliated CSC only

Waipu

Tonight’s stay NZMCA affiliated $10 non-power $15 power, we went non-power must be CSC only.

Left the RSA Hakaru this morning first stop at Lang’s beach for a dump station and photo opportunity.

Then just up the road to Waipu Coastal walkway 3 hour round trip with the most beautiful scenery. Need to be a reasonable fit for this walk it gave my arthritis good work out and pleased we did plenty of training in Otorohanga trying to get our fitness up.

Tomorrow we are unexpectedly going back to Auckland to get the satellite dish looked at, it’s automatic and not doing what it is supposed to do.

Tonight’s stay

Langs beach south

Langs beach north

Waipu Coastal Walkway

Birds are nesting in here

Nice houses over look the water

Shags

Clearwater pancake rocks

Uretiti Beach

Picked up our NZMCA DOC Pass from Kathy and just up the road is the Uretiti Beach Doc Camp so here we are. Time for a blob out and walks on the beach.

It’s nice to see these Doc Camps well used plenty here. We have to make the most of our Doc pass we can’t use it between 20th December and 6th February can’t imagine being here then it would be packed out.

Love here beautiful weather

Uretiti Beach

Marsden Point

Piroa FallsThis morning's adventure was a drive to Piroa Falls that includes a narrow gravel road best turning point is past the falls where the farmland starts.

Parking on the road, we were the only ones here not sure how it would work on public holiday seasons for large Motorhomes, etc.

Easy short walk to the falls that are worth a look and enjoyed.

From there we went to Waipu Caves.

Piroa Falls

Nice Walk

Piroa Falls

Piroa Falls

Waipu Caves

After visiting Piroa Falls we drove to Waipu caves that include more narrow gravel roads. Plenty of parking, toilets, and an outdoor shower to clean up if you get dirty.

We wore our gumboots in the caves to negotiate the water and found it easier than the mud path.

Worth a look and we included the bush

Waipu caves

Waipu caves walking track view from the top

Waiotira

Our last two nights have been at our son and daughter-in-law's farm halfway between Waiotira and Maungakararme.

Thursday we had the Motorhome booked into Northland Towbar & Tailer Centre for a skid bar on the back. It took them 3 hours and they did a fantastic job and best of all lovely people to deal with “highly recommended” cost $487 bargain!!!!

Amazingly we managed to book into Snow Bro’s Auto Electrical the same day for an extra 12v cig & phone charger to be installed on the left side of the MH for our fan purchased from Burnsco recommend fan nice and quiet. Snows did a great job easy to deal with and very professional “highly recommended”

Robert was able to use the farm water to wash the MH it was pretty dirty after several gravel road excursions, nice to be clean again.

Thought I should introduce our MH mascot his name is dog we got him when we lived in Te Kuiti used to sit and guard the door to stop it from slamming

Heading off today to Whangarei heads.....

New skid bar

Dog watching Robert wash the MH

Added 12v Plug for fan

Recommend fan

Meet Dog

Andrew & Leanne

Taking the dogs for a walk

Whangarei Heads

Staying here 2 nights $5 per night in farmers paddock right opposite the beach good views

There's us in the middle

Robert picked up snagged fishing line to put in the rubbish

This was cool

Beach across from our park

Mt Manaia

Took a stroll around the bay's

Manganese Point

Tonight’s stay at Manganese Point NZMCA Park is $6 per night. It’s been raining since we got here but we had a fine morning first going out to Ocean Beach for a look, then tramping up Mt Manaia just over 2-hour trek with 1100 steps up.

Tonight’s stay

Manganese Point setting sun

Didn't do these walks ....next time

Ocean beach

View out to Marsden Point

Marsden Point

Mt Manaia

There's our MH down there

View from summit

Fay

Robert

Pataua

Went for a drive out to Pataua South before heading back into Whangarei to do all the essentials not crazy about looking for laundromats with parking in a City next going to have a look at the falls.